From the Earth to the Plate – Raising awareness and teaching biodiversity and ecology
M&D is a Franco-Moroccan association, created in 1986 by migrants to carry out development actions in the native villages of Souss-Massa.
Overview of the project
The project, supported by Migrations & Développement, is located in the village of Arbaa Sahel. In this area, young people are facing unemployment and the village is facing a massive rural exodus. The village has a lot of potential, especially in agriculture and tourism, and aims to become the first “green community” in Morocco.
The project aims to improve the nutrition of schoolchildren and boarders in the rural village of Arbaa Sahel through the creation of an educational farm and the creation of a program to raise awareness on balanced nutrition. The Dar Talib Association and the Tamounte Association currently manage the educational farm and mobilize their human resources as needed.
The action is structured through 2 parts:
- Productive part: This part aims at improving the farm’s production capacities in agroecology; building the capacities of the managers and staff of the farm and the canteen for the sustainability of the supply in short circuits; improving the implementation of a market of agroecological products at local level.
- Pedagogical part: This part made it possible to develop and structure the reception within the pedagogical farm, both for school groups from the village and outside the village, for short and medium term trainees and for visitors, all national and international audiences.
To improve the nutrition of schoolchildren in the village of Arbaa Sahel through the creation of an educational farm and an awareness program on healthy and well balanced food.
Ongoing research
01/01/2016 - 31/12/2020
- Creation of an educational farm of 1 ha and an awareness program for children and educational teams to test and disseminate technical and social alternatives, related to sustainable agriculture and responsible lifestyles.
- Training of 55 people on agroecology, farm management, computer tools and/or marketing.
- Healthy food produced by the farm benefiting 307 school children and 433 residents of the Commune.70% of the meals served at the Student House prepared from the farm’s products.
- 500 schoolchildren and students and 200 visitors welcomed to the educational farm.
- 1 space for training and dissemination of agroecology created, hosting 18 young farmers, as well as a space for selling and tasting farm products.
- Establishment of a demonstration site of the relevance of agroecological techniques in a rural region hit by the effects of global warming.
- Establishment of a link of solidarity and interdependence between the farm, the residents and the local customers.
- Promotion of the establishment of markets based on a localization of the food system in Arbaa Sahel and Merleft allowing a fair pricing and an economic benefit used to make the farm more and more autonomous.
- Optimization of the use of natural resources as well as the reduced use of external inputs to make the farm more efficient.
- Support, through agro-ecological practices, healthy, diversified, culturally appropriate diets.
Development and good physical and moral health of the children thanks to the training of the pedagogical teams and the canteen workers, limiting the possible risks of dropping out of school.
This project was made possible with the financial support of the Agence Française de Développement, the Raja Foundation and the Léa Nature Foundation.
organisation
M&D is a Franco-Moroccan association, created in 1986 by migrants to carry out development actions in their native villages in Souss-Massa. The non profit organization has progressively become a development association and a support association for development, by ensuring the animation and support of local actors, based on the local initiatives.
Thus, M&D positions itself as a “catalyst” actor in order to stimulate the dynamics of the actors and contribute to change through innovation. The main activities are structured in 4 main poles: Sustainable Agriculture and Environment; Governance and Territorial Animation; Mobilities and Solidarities; Learning Communication for Change and Swarming.
in collaboration
- Cari
- Agrisud International